Scan Diet clinically proven effective for weight loss and cholesterol reduction

Orlando, Florida, April 4, 2001

Scientists from The New York Obesity Research Center at St. Luke’s/Roosevelt Hospital today presented clinical proof that Scan Diet, ™ a patented soy protein weight management product, is an effective tool for weight loss and cholesterol reduction. The findings were from the first in a series of randomized controlled trials and were presented at the Experimental Biology 2001 meeting in Orlando.

Results showed patients in the group using Scan Diet lost more than 15 pounds on average and lost significantly more weight than those in the control group who consumed similar Calorie levels. Even more revealing, the Scan Diet subjects experienced a reduction in LDL (bad) cholesterol above and beyond what could be expected as a result of merely losing weight.
The prevalence of overweight and obesity has exploded over the past 30 years, and current statistics estimate that close to 55 percent of Americans are considered overweight or obese. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), in a white paper released January 2001, reported that although weight loss is a major concern for the U.S. population, many popular diets that advocate limiting Calorie consumption do little to help a dieter lower cholesterol and blood pressure levels.

"It is well documented that weight loss reduces cholesterol. One of the interesting things we found in this study is, that 'pound-for-pound' Scan Diet can actually help lower LDL cholesterol (the 'bad' cholesterol) more effectively than merely losing weight on one's own," said David B. Allison, Ph.D. lead investigator of the trial at The New York Obesity Research Center.
Both the experimental and the control groups were told to follow a 1,200 Calorie-a-day diet and received one dietary counseling session and written materials on good weight loss practices from the American Heart Association. The difference came in the kind of Calories consumed. The experimental group consumed a total of 1,200 Calories a day consisting of Scan Diet and a small amount of additional ordinary food. Individuals in the control group were told to follow a 1,200 Calorie-a-day diet consisting of regular foods.

"Can you lose weight by eating a sensible diet of regular foods? Of course," said Michael C. Moore, Managing Director, Nutri Pharma. "But Scan Diet gives you an easy, sensible way to restrict your Calories, so you lose weight safely and more effectively as confirmed by Dr. Allison’s study." Scan Diet was developed by Nutri Pharma ASA (OSE: NUT), a Scandinavian functional foods company, and GNC, the largest nationwide retailer of vitamin, mineral and herbal supplements.
"The idea of a magic pill is very tempting for a lot of people. But the increasing incidence of obesity in the United States and its related health risks, demands the evaluation of treatment options outside of pharmacotherapy," said Mr. Moore. "Our founder, Dr. Lars Hoie, has been focused for almost two decades on improving health through ongoing research of our proprietary patented soy technology. Nutri Pharma’s healthy approach to weight loss has been clinically validated in many scientific studies throughout Europe over the past several years, and now the St. Luke’s/Roosevelt Hospital trial adds even more support for Scan Diet."

General Nutrition Companies, Inc. (GNC), based in Pittsburgh, PA, is the largest nation-wide speciality retailer of vitamin, mineral and herbal supplements, sports nutrition as well as many personal care and related products. GNC operates more than 4,200 retail outlets throughout the United States and 26 foreign markets including Puerto Rico, Canada and Mexico. GNC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Royal Numico N.V., a world-wide market leader in specialised nutrition that includes infant and clinical nutrition and nutritional supplements. Headquartered in Zoetermeer, The Netherlands, Royal Numico’s family of companies includes Rexall Sundown, Inc., a major supplier to the mass market based in Boca Raton, Fla., sports nutrition leaders Met-Rx and Worldwide Nutrition and the multi-level marketing operation of Enrich International.

Nutri Pharma ASA (OSE: NUT) is a global leader in functional foods and beverages, developing and marketing innovative functional food ingredients and products, all based on the company’s proprietary soy technology. The products address lifestyle-related diseases, such as elevated cholesterol level, obesity and type 2 diabetes. Nutri Pharma holds a market leading position in weight loss products in Nordic Countries and has licensed its weight management formulation exclusively to GNC, which introduced it in the United States as Scan Diet and is now introducing the brand throughout Canada through Nutricia in its own stores as well as drug stores, mass merchandisers, grocery stores and club stores. Nutri Pharma’s shares are traded on the main list of the Oslo Stock Exchange. Nutri Pharma, headquartered in Copenhagen, has offices in Norway, Sweden, the United States, England and Germany. For additional information on Scan Diet visit www.scandiet.com. For additional information on the company and its pipeline of products, please visit the corporate web site at www.nutripharma.com.

Study Profile:
This series of clinical trials is ongoing at the New York Obesity Research Center of St. Luke’s/Roosevelt Hospital under the supervision of lead investigator David B. Allison, Ph.D. This first phase 12-week trial with parallel groups involved 100 overweight and obese volunteers with body mass indexes (BMIs) ranging from 28 to 41. An individual with a BMI from 25- 29.9 clinically is defined as overweight, while those with a BMI >30 are defined as obese. Subjects were ages 35-65, and included both men and women; 74 subjects completed all 12 weeks of the trial.

Among those who completed the 12-week trial (n=74), mean weight loss of the individuals put on the Scan Diet plan was over 15 pounds versus the 6 pounds lost by those in the control group (15.6 pounds [7.09kg]: n= 37 vs. 6.3 pounds [2.87kg]; n=37;p=0.0001). Those who used Scan Diet over the 12-week period also had a greater reduction in total cholesterol (26.1mg/dl vs. 7.5 mg/dl; p=0.0026) and LDL cholesterol (21.6mg/dl vs. 6.5 mg/dl; p=0.0043). Even after accounting for the degree of weight loss in this randomized controlled trial, the reduction in LDL cholesterol was significantly greater in the treatment group.
In addition to proof of weight loss and cholesterol lowering qualities, the treatment was well tolerated with no serious side effects detected.